Labord's chameleon

Description

Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi) is a semelparous species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. The specific name, labordi, is in honor of French adventurer Jean Laborde. Laborde's Chameleon is associated with spiny and deciduous forests in the south-west regions of Madagascar. Like other Furcifer species (F. antimena, F. lateralis), F. labordi has an obligate year-long lifecycle. It lives for only about 4 to 5 months, making it the shortest lifespan ever recorded for a four-legged vertebrate. In their natural habitat, eggs hatch with the first rains in November, the growth is rapid, and adulthood is reached by January, at which time they breed. By late February or early March, females have deposited the eggs which will hatch the next year, and the entire population dies until the next hatching. No other tetrapod has exhibited such a short lifespan. In captivity, eggs of F. labordi have hatched after 4 months of incubation at 26 °C (79 °F). Juveniles grow very rapidly, reaching adulthood after 3 months. Females that were properly fed grew with eggs and a vivid coloration, whereas females that were fed a less caloric diet grew thinner and only showed a green coloration.